1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a manufactured, partially biodegradable municipal solid waste ("MSW") disposal landfill specification daily/initial cover product.
More specifically, this invention relates to a MSW disposal landfill substitute/alternative daily/initial cover product composed of C&D disposal debris which has been mechanically processed by screening/shredding to a predetermined specification maximum particle size.
2. Description of the Related Art
Environmental regulations governing solid waste material are found at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) Part 258, Criteria for Municipal Solid Waste Facilities, 40 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) Part 261.2.; Definition of Solid Waste, Florida Statutes (F.S.) Chapter 403, Environmental Control and the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) Chapter 62-701, Solid Waste Management Facilities (Apr. 23, 1997) incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, the Standard Industrial Classification (S.I.C.) Manual, printed by the Executive Office of the President Office of Management and Budget is also incorporated herein by reference.
In the solid waste industry, it is the origin of the components of the unwanted solid waste which determines its solid waste classification. "Origin" denotes the type of activity conducted at the specific geographic site location where the unwanted solid waste material originated from, was generated at or produced. As an example, based upon their "origins" the following solid waste classifications are used: residential, commercial, construction, demolition, lot clearing, site development, manufacturing, industrial, yard trash/yard waste also known as green waste and the like. Furthermore, documents such as certificate of use, certificate of occupancy, occupational licenses, building construction permits, demolition permits, lot clearing permits and the like provide useful information in determining solid waste material classifications. These issued documents provide the necessary information to the appropriate agencies of towns, cities, municipalities, counties, state and environmental regulatory authorities or the like.
Upon review (examination) of these issued documents, the solid waste generated/produced at the specific site location in question and its classification can accurately be determined. Furthermore, zoning codes, comprehensive land use master plans and the like can also be used to determine solid waste classifications. Once the classification of the solid waste has been accurately established, the proper disposal location approved by environmental regulatory authorities for this specific type of solid waste can be made. Additional information on the classification of solid waste entering a permitted/licensed or approved solid waste management facility can be obtained from the facility's required operational record.
Operational records such as Monthly Operating Reports ("MOR's") are usually required by all permitted/licensed or approved solid waste management facilities or the like. The requirement of compiling the MOR from the daily operational records is usually included/attached as a "specific condition" to the permit/license issued to the solid waste management facility. An example of this MOR requirement is found in the State of Florida's Administrative Code (F.A.C. Chapter 62-701 Solid Waste Management Facilities, dated Apr. 23, 1997, Section 801, General Permit for Solid Waste Transfer Stations (4)(g), and is included herein:
(4)(g) Operational records shall be maintained to include a daily log of the quantity of solid waste received and transported and the origin of the waste. Such records shall be compiled on a monthly basis and shall be available for inspection by the Department. Reports shall be retained at the station for three years. Review of the required daily operational records should clearly indicate the exact geographic site location of the "origin" of the solid waste. PA1 (25) Construction and demolition debris" means discarded materials generally considered to be not water soluble and non-hazardous in nature, including but not limited to steel, glass, brick, concrete, asphalt material, pipe, gypsum wallboard and lumber, from the construction or destruction of a structure as part of a construction or demolition project or from the renovation of a structure, including such debris from construction of structures at a site remote from the construction or demolition project site. The term includes rocks, soils, tree remains, trees and other vegetative matter which normally results from land clearing or land development operations for a construction project; clean cardboard, paper, plastic, wood, and metal scraps from a construction project. Effective Jan. 1, 1997, except as provided in Section 403.707 (13)(j), F.S., unpainted, non-treated wood scraps from facilities manufacturing materials used for construction of structures or their components and unpainted, non-treated wood pallets provided the wood scraps and pallets are separated from other sold waste where generated and the generator of such wood scraps or pallets implements reasonable practices of the generating industry to minimize the commingling of wood scraps or pallets with other solid waste, and de minimis amounts of other non-hazardous wastes that are generated at construction or demolition projects, provided such amounts are consistent with best management practices of the construction and demolition industries. Mixing of construction and demolition debris with other types of solid waste will cause it to be classified as other than construction and demolition debris. PA1 17-520.400(1)--All ground water shall at all places and at all times be free from domestic, industrial, agricultural, or other man-induced non-thermal components of discharges in concentrations which, alone or in combination with other substances, or components or discharges (whether thermal or non-thermal): PA1 (a) Are harmful to plants, animals or organisms that are native to the soil and responsible for treatment or stabilization of the discharge relied upon by Department permits; or PA1 (b) Are carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, or toxic to human beings, unless specific criteria are established for such components in Rule 62-520.420 F.A.C.; or PA1 (c) Are acutely toxic within surface waters affected by the ground water; or PA1 (d) Pose a serious danger to the public health, safety or welfare; or PA1 (e) Create or constitute a nuisance; or PA1 (f) Impair the reasonable and beneficial use of adjacent waters. PA1 (5) "Recyclable material" means those materials which are capable of being recycled and which would otherwise be processed or disposal of as a solid waste. PA1 (i) used or reused as ingredients in an industrial process to make a product, provided the materials are not being reclaimed; or PA1 (ii) Used or reused as effective substitutes for commercial products; or PA1 (iii) Returned to the original process from which they are generated, without first being reclaimed or land disposed. The material must be returned as a substitute for feed stock materials. In cases where the original process to which the material is returned is a secondary process, the materials must be managed such that there is no placement on the land.
A determination can then be easily made as to the classification of the solid waste received from that specific location and the correct type of solid waste management facility where that specific solid waste is to be abandoned by disposal.
As an example, solid waste generated/produced by industries listed under the Standard Industrial Classification (S.I.C.) Manual industrial code 1152-1794 and 1796-1799 are classified as construction solid waste. Solid waste generated/produced by the S.I.C. industry code number of 1795 is classified as demolition solid waste.
Construction and Demolition (C&D) debris is considered solid waste by environmental regulatory agencies because in most instances, the C&D debris is simply abandoned by being disposed of, burned or incinerated. Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris, as used herein and as defined by the State of Florida's Administrate Code (F.A.C.) is found at Chapter 62 Part 701 (62-701 ) Solid Waste Management Facilities, dated Apr. 23, 1997, Section 200 Definitions, (25) "Construction and Demolition Debris" is included herein.
Therefore, solid waste material generated by construction and/or demolition activity is classified as Construction and Demolition (C&D) debris by environmental regulatory authorities providing it has not been allowed to become mixed or commingled with any other classification of solid waste disposal material. Specifically excluded from the definition of C&D debris is asbestos and/or asbestos waste, biological/biomedical waste and all hazardous waste materials.
Construction and Demolition (C&D) debris contains many salvageable items. Once these salvageable components have been removed for reuse or other beneficial purpose, the remain material is renamed "C&D disposal debris." This remaining C&D disposal debris is usually simply abandoned by being disposed of, burned or incinerated. Component separation of C&D debris may be undertaken at the construction or demolition project site, land development site, permitted/licensed or approved Material Recovery Facility (MRF), solid waste transfer station or at any other site location approved by environmental regulatory authorities to accept and process this type of solid waste material. Additionally, certain geographic site specific conditions may be encountered where the economics of removing/separating usable components/items from the C&D debris may not be economically favorable. This occurs when no demand or current market exists for the components/items if removed/separated from the C&D debris. This unseparated C&D debris now also becomes "C&D disposal debris" and is usually abandoned by being disposed of, burned or incinerated. The C&D debris, whether separated or unseparated before processing/manufacturing, is considered a raw material/feed stock in this related art. It is this C&D disposal debris raw material/feed stock which is processed by mechanical screening/shredding to a predetermined specification maximum particle size which produces/creates the manufactured "C&D Recovered Screened Materials (RSM)" product of this related art.
Once treated with the preferred formulated solution of this related art, this C&D-RSM material becomes the MSW disposal landfill substitute daily cover product of this invention. Furthermore, once processed by mechanical screening/shredding, this MSW disposal landfill substitute daily/initial cover product, both before and after treatment, is referred to as C&D Recovered Screen Material (RSM). "Recovered Screen Materials (RSM)" is the mixture of collected solid particles which have passed through a screen or grate having predetermined size openings in their surface when solid waste is processed by mechanical screening or shredding. The environmental impact as well as public health, safety and welfare issues should be investigated thoroughly by environmental regulatory authorities before giving site specific approval allowing the utilization of this C&D-RSM product for any other use than by solid waste disposal landfills operating with a leachate containment system.
The State of Florida's Administrative Code (F.A.C.) (R. 12/96) Chapter 17-520.400, Ground Water Classes, Standards and Exemptions, addresses protective minimum criteria for ground water, and is included herein.
The pollution threat to ground water or surface waters from specific contaminants which may leach from the manufactured C&D disposal debris RSM product can be limited by the application/utilization of this substitute daily/initial cover product only at solid waste disposal landfills which operate with a landfill leachate containment system. Furthermore, the C&D-RSM product should be tested for all of the contaminants listed in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) 1994 Groundwater Guidance Concentration Booklet; Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater Resources compiled by Bryan Baker, telephone (904) 488-3601, incorporated herein by reference. An example of a potential groundwater contaminant listed in the FDEP 1994 Groundwater Guidance Concentration Booklet as a systemic toxicant are Boron and Borates, American Chemical Society's Chemical Abstract Services (CAS) #7440-42-8. Boron (B), boric acid (H.sub.3 BO3) and sodium tetraborate decahydrate (Na 2B407.10 H.sub.2 O) are found as components of commercially available gypsum wallboard. Ground water will cause leaching of boron and borates from gypsum wallboard.
Several samples of commercially available gypsum wallboard were tested by the Curcumin Method and contained on the average 4,000 mcg/g (ppm) of total boron and borates. This average value of 4,000 ppm computes to 7.86 pounds of boron and borates per ton (2,000 pounds) of commercially available gypsum wallboard. The guidance concentration listed in the 1994 FDEP Groundwater Guidance Concentration Booklet for boron and borates is 630 ug/L (ppb). Based on this guidance concentration value, 2,000 pounds of commercially available gypsum wallboard, which contains 7.86 pounds of Boron, will cause 1,496,483 gallons of ground water to exceed the listed permissible limit.
Additionally, dissolved solids which migrate from this C&D-RSM product should be evaluated carefully by environmental regulatory authorities to determine their potential overall effect before allowing usage of this material at a location operating without a leachate containment system. An example of this is found in the State of Florida's Administrative Code (F.A.C.) Chapter 62 Part 701 (62-701) Solid Waste Management Facilities, dated Apr. 23, 1997, Section 300 Prohibitions (b) and is included herein.
62.701.300(b) No person shall store, process or dispose of solid waste in a manner or location that causes air quality standards to be violated or water quality standards or criteria of receiving waters to be violated.
The C&D disposal debris which has not been allowed to become commingled or mixed with any other classification of solid waste material may be abandoned by disposal at a permitted/licensed C&D debris landfill or other approved site location including any RSM generated/produced or removed from this debris. However, if the C&D disposal debris has been mixed or commingled with other classifications of solid waste, such as commercial solid waste, it cannot be abandoned by disposal at a permitted/licensed or approved C&D debris landfill including any RSM generated/produced or removed from this debris mixture.
Commercial solid waste as used herein is solid waste originating from stores, businesses, commercial warehouses, hospitals, educational, health care, military and correctional institutes, non profit research organizations, government offices and the like. It typically includes, but is not limited to, waste rubber tires, processed waste rubber tires, rubber items, carpet, mixed paper, plastic, painted lumber, packaging material, textiles, wooden crates, pallets, metal strapping, glass, ferrous and non-ferrous items, furniture, upholstered furniture, small pieces of office equipment, treated lumber, fiberglass, fiberglass items, de minimis amounts of putrescible items, insulation material, styrofoam and the like.
This mixed or commingled C&D disposal debris must be disposed of at a Class III solid waste disposal landfill, Subtitle "D" MSW disposal landfill, Class I MSW disposal landfill, MSW disposal landfill operating within a slurry wall landfill leachate containment system or other environmental regulatory authority approved site location.
Under certain environmental regulatory conditions, the C&D disposal landfill, Solid Waste Transfer Station, Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) or the like which is permitted/licensed or approved to accept and process C&D debris or its equivalent may be located within the geographic site boundaries of a MSW disposal landfill, Class I solid waste disposal landfill, Subtitle "D" Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal landfill, MSW disposal landfill operating within a slurry wall landfill leachate containment system or their equivalents. Additionally, the C&D disposal landfill, Solid Waste Transfer Station, Materials Recovery Facility or the like which is permitted/licensed or approved to accept and process C&D debris may be located directly on top of a previously used sanitary landfill, MSW disposal landfill, Class I solid waste disposal landfill, Subtitle "D" MSW disposal landfill or their equivalents.
It is within the contemplation and scope of the present invention that limited or incidental amounts of other solid waste components may be present in the C&D debris without altering either its essential characteristics or its suitability to be manufactured into the specification particle sized C&D-RSM substitute daily/initial cover product of this related art. The "C&D disposal debris" which has been processed/manufactured into RSM by mechanical screening/shredding is viewed as a "Recyclable Material" in this art and not a solid waste. The definition of "Recyclable Material" is found in the State of Florida Statutes (F.S.) 1996 Supplement to Florida Statutes 1995, Chapter 403 Part IV Resources Recovery and Management, definition (5) "Recyclable Material" included herein:
Therefore, C&D disposal debris when manufactured into an accepted and approved specification particle sized MSW disposal landfill or other approved site location substitute daily cover product qualifies as a "recycled material." Furthermore, by viewing this C&D disposal debris as a raw material/feed stock the town, city, municipality, county, state or the like where this debris was generated/produced may be allowed to factor the reuse of this debris into their overall recycling credits. This in turn would increase their recycling credits and thus their ability to qualify for Federal Government grants.
The Federal Governments, Code of Federal Regulations, (CFR)(Jul. 1, 1996 Edition) definition of "Solid Waste" is found at 40-CFR part 261.2 and is incorporated herein by reference.
An excerpt from 40-CFR-261.2, definition of "Solid Waste" is included herein.
40 C.F.R. 261.2
(e) Materials that are not solid waste when recycled.
(1) Materials are not solid wastes when they can be shown to be recycled by being:
Therefore, when this C&D-RSM product is applied at MSW disposal landfills or other approved site locations as daily/initial cover material substituting the normally used commercial products of sand, dirt, earthen material or the like and then treated with the formulated solution of this related art, it should no longer be classified as a solid waste by environmental regulatory authorities.
One known solution to converting Construction and Demolition (C&D) debris to a landfill daily cover material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,450 to Smith, et al. This prior art does not adequately address the criteria found at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Jul. 1, 1996 edition, part 25B.21 (a.) "Cover Material Requirements," included herein, which outlines the specific parameters that must be met in order for any product or material to be approved for daily cover usage. The Federal Governments Environmental Protection Agency regulations found at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), revised as of Jul. 1, 1996, Part 258.21 (Cover Material Requirements) which has been adopted by most states, is included herein.